Twin Dimensions
by Elysia Times
Summary: Harry is sent to a parallel world, where the Dark Lord yet lives. He encounters a world eerily familiar to his own, people he thought he'd lost forever and a new prophecy. The storyline is set after the events of the Deathly Hallows, disregarding the epilogue.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Harry Potter, its characters or plotline – it belongs to J. K. Rowling. Only my imagination is my own :)

**Beta Reader**

Thanks to my brilliant editor: A Fire in the Attic!

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE – TWO WORLDS INTERTWINED**

Rays of sunlight shone through the countless leaves above him, which were being moved ever so slightly by a warm breeze. Soft grass tickled his face gently, leaving a fresh smell of spring.

The boy was laying face down at the north end of the meadow. There were trees nearly blocking the morning sun. He looked peaceful, noted the two men hidden between the trees in the forest. Black messy hair partly concealed his sleeping face. He seemed unaware of his surroundings.

Completely defenseless.

The sun rose higher in the sky, now brightly shining on the boy, but he was still soundly asleep.

A man with black shoulder-long hair and quite handsome facial features edged closer to the sleeping boy.

The other stayed back, watching intently.

The boy's unruly hair shifted when he turned in his sleep, coincidently facing them both.

A small gasp escaped the man closest to him. He sent a quick glance over his shoulder and saw the same look of surprise in his friend's eyes, their mission momentarily forgotten.

* * *

He could feel his consciousness gradually return, like a dense fog lifting slowly but surely. His mind was between a waking and sleeping state, a feeling of comfortable obliviousness and serenity. The boy stirred on the soft bed of greenness, lazily stretching his limbs. Slowly he opened his eyes, revealing twinkling emerald irises, a legacy his mother had left behind. He eyed his surroundings with dull interest, not completely awake just yet.

An almost silent cough seemed quite loud in the stillness of the meadow and the surrounding forest. Barely audible, but still resounding in the quiet morning.

The boy whipped his head around, searchingly, suddenly alert of every movement.

The two men stood deathly still.

The boy's eyes scanned the meadow and the shadows between the trees, suddenly vigilant and not so peaceful. His facial features changed, confusedness battling a hunted look, finally replaced by a contemplative frown.

The boy got to his feet in a swift movement, startling the spying men. For a couple of slow minutes, he stood perfectly still, his back to his onlookers. Then a low voice breached the resounding stillness.

"Why don't you show yourselves?"

He could imagine their stupidly surprised faces; they had been almost soundless, after all. It wasn't difficult deducing what happened behind his back. Inaudible communication. Debating their next move, whether to reveal themselves or not. He could feel his patience diminishing. Evaporating like heated water. Soon they would have to reveal themselves, or he would force them. Their lack of answer irritated him, seeing he didn't know where he was or how he even got there. At first he had been worried about an attack, a trap, but none came. His spies showed no maliciousness, or ill-intended intentions. They seemed… _curious._

* * *

The two men looked at each other, surprised. Wordlessly, they eyed each other, and then turned their gaze to the boy standing in the meadow. At a second glance, the boy's obvious perceptiveness showed he wasn't a mere boy. A young man, really. They nodded at each other, having decided something, and walked out of their hiding place in the shadows of the forest.

"There seems to be no reason to hide ourselves," the man with long black hair said.

The young man said nothing, but turned around, finally able to see their faces. He gasped, a conflicted expression flitting across his face. Barely two seconds later, all traces of surprise were gone. His face…a mask.

"Care to tell me where I am, what year it is and why you were watching me?"

A little surprised by his questions, they refrained from answering for quite some time.

The young man watched them, awaiting an answer.

The black haired man suddenly came out of his reverie.

"This is the Dean forest."'

He nodded, suddenly recognizing the forest they had used as a temporary camp one and a half years ago. _At least I'm not completely lost…_ He eyed the two eerily familiar men._ Or am I? This doesn't make much sense._ His eyes couldn't bear to stray from the two men he never thought he would see again in his lifetime.

"The year is 1999," the other man continued, a questioning brow rising at the odd question.

The young man could barely contain a surprised sound, and looked more intently at the two men he thought were dead. _Time travel_, he mused, but quickly discarded that idea. They didn't _know_ him. Granted this was around a year and a half before his time, but they would still have known who he was. They clearly didn't.

"And, concerning your last question…" The black haired man spoke up again. "We were told you would be here."

He met the man's eyes with raised eyebrows. _They _knew_ I would be here_, he repeated in his head.

"How?"

The two men looked at each other, and turned to him with apologetic facial expressions. The message was clear. They wouldn't or couldn't tell.

_Probably both_, he thought bitterly. It wasn't exactly new for him to be kept in the dark. Still, meeting their eyes once again, he realized _they_ didn't know him. Even though _he_ knew them.

Changing the subject, the black-haired man stepped towards him with his hand outstretched, a playful grin lightening up his face.

"So, what's your name?"

He eyed them carefully, not knowing if he could reveal his identity or not. He knew he shouldn't. The right way to deal with this situation was to treat it like time travel, meaning to be really careful about what one said. _In a way this seems to be just that, but at the same time it doesn't_. He racked his brain for a possible answer, but didn't really find one. _Just time travel doesn't add up, though, it's more like being in another world._

He raised his green eyes, meeting smiling grey ones, planning on making an alibi for himself. But when looking into the grinning expression of his deceased godfather, reason abandoned him. He couldn't bring himself to lie.

"My name is Harry James Potter."

* * *

**A/N:**

Thanks for reading the first chapter of Twin Dimensions. I hope you enjoyed it!

Reviews are always highly appreciated :)

I plan monthly updates.

\- Elysia


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to the author; J. K. Rowling. Only my imagination is my own :)

**Beta Reader**

Thanks to my brilliant beta reader and her patience with editing this chapter. Your help is always much appreciated, A Fire in the Attic!

**A/N**

The next chapter is finally published :) I hope you enjoy! ... and sorry for the lateness!

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO – UNLIKELY REUNION**

The silence was deafening. Only the sound of rustling leaves, happily chirping birds and a nearby stream, disturbed the otherwise noiseless spring morning.

Harry could see veiled pain and the confused shaking of his godfather's head. The other man looked pale, even worse so than before the full moon.

Harry stood unmoving, at a loss of what to do. He knew nothing of this world, as he was quite sure it was not his own.

"That's impossible," the werewolf started agitatedly. "Simply not possible."

Harry met his eyes, the raw agony causing him to take a step back. Something was wrong. Terribly and undeniably amiss. He took a deep breath, calming himself by putting his mental walls up. For the first time since he awoke, he went through everything that had happened logically, hoping to find an answer to his current predicament. After a couple of minutes, which felt more like hours, he finally realized: _There's only one explanation, but I've never believed they truly existed._

"Alternate dimensions…" he whispered quietly.

* * *

Harry shook his head determinedly, waking himself from his stupor. How he came to be in this world would have to be dealt with later, once he got his bearings. He raised his head slowly but surely, meeting expressions he was sure were mirrored in his own facial features.

They were looking at him in denial, veiled pain, and hope. He could see the all too familiar ghosts of a difficult past flicker across their faces, reliving agonizing memories.

_What happened to the Potters of this world?_ Harry wondered silently. _What happened to _me_?_

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was a mere five minutes, he got to his feet again.

Suddenly aware the raven-haired boy had moved, his godfather and the werewolf straightened up, watching him warily.

Harry closed the distance, putting his hand on the black-haired man's shoulder, his emerald eyes meeting grey ones.

"Sirius, I believe we should get moving." Clear green eyes shifted to the werewolf. "It wasn't a coincidence you found me, was it?"

* * *

Sirius Black watched the eerily familiar face with new bewilderment. The young man in front of them could have been a carbon copy of his best friend. _JAMES!_ The name screamed silently in his mind, the pain again lividly alive. Sparkling emerald eyes caught his, and then he _knew_ without a shadow of doubt. _Lily's eyes_, his baffled mind thought in wonder.

This young man was his long lost godson.

New joy spread like wildfire in his chest. _Harry! Oh, James, your son!_ Sirius's gaze returned to Remus, who looked battered by the years. He saw the same excited elation in the werewolf's shining eyes.

_This _is_ Harry, James's and Lil…_

Their synchronized chains of thoughts stopped dead.

Sirius saw the same realization dawn on Remus's face.

_LILY'S SON._

* * *

Everything changed on one Halloween night several years ago. Lily Potter, née Evans, walked through the charming town of Godric's Hollow, amazed by the illuminating lights and sparkling snow falling slowly to the ground. The depressing thoughts of meeting her sister were long forgotten. The chill of the autumn wind suddenly brought with it a new smell. Smoke. She raised her head; red hair dancing in curls down her shoulders, her eyes following the direction of the smell.

A glowing light, laced with dark smoke, filled the air. Lily's heart stopped momentarily, her breathing erratic. A chill, which had nothing to do with the coming winter, marred her bones. It froze her in place. A second later she ran towards the red light, faster than she had ever run. Dread filled her, threatening to overwhelm her completely.

Her feet came to a stop before her new home. Flames licked the windows on the second floor. Without thinking, considering what she was doing, or listening to the voices calling to her, she rushed into the burning house. Lily called out for her husband, while searching frantically for him and their son. The smoke caught in her throat, making her cough and making her eyes swim with tears. But most of her tears had nothing to do with the suffocating smoke.

The door to their bedroom opened abruptly. On the floor laid a handsome young man with messy raven hair, his glasses askew.

Her feet found their way to her loved one. Shocked in terror, she fell to her knees beside him and placed a shaking hand on his chest. No heartbeat. Her teary eyes found James's glazed ones, once so full of life and mischief, now forever still.

Her heart broke.

She sat beside her best friend, the man who would forever hold a piece of her heart. He was gone. Her mind, though clouded with grief, suddenly made place for a new fear. A fear which overshadowed everything.

_Harry!_

Lily got to her feet in a split second, rushing to the crib.

He was gone.

* * *

The young man's words slithered through Sirius's consciousness. _Right, we're here for a reason._ He gathered himself, following the expressions and movements of his godson with amazement. _Merlin, he's just like James!_ Shaking his head, he locked eyes with Harry.

"You're right; we should get going. The Order will want to meet you!"

Sirius found himself unable to avert his eyes from the raven-haired boy in front of him. He never thought he would see him again. Not after that fateful Halloween night sixteen years ago. Moving towards him, he was flummoxed as he realized - Harry had called him _Sirius_. How was that even possible? He had not seen Harry since he was a one year old baby, not able to remember anyone. Yet, Harry _did_.

"Is something wrong?" the young man inquired.

"No," he said, deciding to prod his realization later.

"Take my arm."

* * *

Harry did, knowing all too well what was coming. He hated Side-along Apparation, nearly always stumbling to catch himself from falling upon arrival. The sight of the place he awoke, a peaceful meadow and surrounding forest, became a blur of crashing colors. He caught the werewolf's eyes before disappearing, tired and sad, as they often had been. Yet somehow he knew he would follow right behind them.

The three men reappeared in an empty hallway, which was quite dark, but still remarkably familiar to Harry. Grimmauld Place.

_So, it's the Order's Headquarters in this world too_, he noted. Without thinking, he started for the dining room, and the two Marauders followed closely behind him. If they felt any surprise by Harry's familiarity with the place, he didn't notice it.

When his hand touched the doorknob, he stopped, standing completely rigid and unmoving. A cold chill lingered on his back, refusing to leave. It had been utterly mind-boggling and painful, and _still_ was, to meet Sirius and Remus again. In his world they were dead, like so many others he had loved. A recent scar resurfaced, threatening to freeze him solid. The war was over, but the losses weren't.

_Will they ever be?_

A treasonous tear made its way down his chin. Quite suddenly he felt embarrassed. Crying his eyes out was _not_ an option in front of the Order. If he wanted to not make a complete fool of himself, he'd have to get a grip. He was not a child anymore, never had been really, and did not want to be treated as one.

With the courage only a Gryffindor possessed, he opened the door determinedly.

A dozen faces turned to look at the newcomer.

He knew most of them; some weren't alive in his world. Some he'd never met. His feet felt like lead, resisting his steps forward. Emerald eyes scanned the room and stopped dead when they found the same ones in a beautiful red-haired woman.

_Lily_, his frazzled mind supplied. _Merlin_, _mum_!

* * *

**A/N**

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review; they are always appreciated!

The next chapter is written, but awaiting editing; it should be published during the coming Month :) I'll do my best to publish it on schedule!

For those of you who read my TMI-fanfic _Lucy, _the next chapter will be published as soon as it has been edited. Sorry it has been a while since the last update!

\- Elysia


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Harry Potter - only my imagination is my own!

**A/N**

So sorry about the lateness of this chapter, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway! A million thanks to A Fire in the Attic, my brilliant beta reader :) And thanks a lot to those who read and reviewed the last couple of chapters!

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE – DISCLOSING IDENTITIES**

Harry stood completely still, shell-shocked.

A kind woman's emerald eyes watched him with sudden interest, and then with hidden pain and recollection.

He had difficulties processing his own thoughts, much less the surroundings. His gaze was fixed on the redheaded woman standing before him. Never straying.

_She's here_, his baffled mind repeated._ Alive._

Before he opened the door, he had prepared himself to see the familiar faces of people he had lost in the war. The memories of their last moments, their glazed eyes and unmoving bodies resurfaced, like ripples in a pond. Harry felt a longing sadness, more real than anything he had ever felt before, while watching the green sparkle in his mother's irises.

The moment stretched on, disappearing on a road to infinity.

"Harry, are you okay?" His godfather's silent voice broke through his stupor.

"Yes," he managed to choke out. "I'm fine."

Harry glanced at Sirius's expression to see that the man's usual mirthful face was replaced with a concerned one.

Sirius seemingly decided it was a good enough answer for now and nodded, returning his eyes to Lily.

"What about you?"

Lily stared at him.

"He couldn't be… You're not saying…" She faltered as she spoke, missing her usual eloquence.

"I believe he is."

Harry glanced between Sirius and Lily, not really able to say anything coherent at the moment. He could see his mother brighten like a magnificent sunrise, when realization dawned. A mixture of dread and yearning battled on inside him. He was not who she thought he was; it simply wasn't possible.

"Oomph!"

Two loving arms caught him in a warm embrace. Although he had become quite agile during the war, nothing had prepared him for this. The consoling hug of a parent finally finding her long lost child was overwhelming, to say the least, and so wrong. So terribly wrong.

With every ounce of will he could muster, he parted from Lily's arms. He saw confusion cloud her green irises as he stepped away from her. It tore at his already broken heart, but nothing could prevent what he had to do.

"I'm not who you think I am."

* * *

Silence held the room tightly; a falling pin could easily be heard.

The hurt in Lily's unbelieving eyes made him feel forlorn and guilty, even if it was unavoidable. Unable to bear holding her gaze any longer, his eyes shifted to the man who looked unmistakably like the one who had fallen through the veil. In Sirius's eyes, he saw sadness, confusion and a suspicion confirmed. He didn't know what had happened to this world's Harry, but their reactions made it clear they didn't know his fate.

"What do you mean, my boy?" A familiar voice split the silence the raven-haired boy had caused.

Harry turned to the older man with crescent moon spectacles. A new wave of grief rushed through him. His counterpart had always acted like a mentor to him, although he had used him, he cared. The twinkle in his blue eyes was unmistakable, hiding a sharp and almost playful mind.

"You said your name was _Harry James Potter_," a voice accused. "Were you lying?"

He turned around; a clearly angry face met him. Harry had no wish to tempt fate: his godfather's temper was about to crack. He didn't exactly have fond memories of that happening.

"Eh…" Harry hesitated. _How much is it wise to tell_, he wondered. _Oh, well. I guess I have no choice…_

He strengthened his resolve, burying the traitorous need for a family. His unveiling of current facts would bring a devastating truth to light. One he couldn't hide. Not if he had a conscience.

"Yes, my name is Harry James Potter, like I told you and Remus." His emerald glittering orbs fell upon his godfather and the werewolf.

"But I'm not _your_ Harry."

* * *

Unbelieving murmurs and confusion filled the room with muffled sound and suspicious glances.

Harry had not dared to meet his mother's eyes again, after he untangled himself from her embrace. This was just as hard on her, as it was on him; probably even worse.

"An alternate dimension," Dumbledore mused.

Harry caught his gaze, seeing the same conclusion form in Albus's mind as had formed in his own. He was relieved and wistful to discover someone believed he was who he said he was. Harry remembered what Hermione had told him about parallel worlds. He distinctly recalled her conviction they weren't real. _Sometimes even Hermione is wrong…_ The thought briefly brought an amused smirk to his lips.

"Yes, that's probably the only plausible explanation."

Albus Dumbledore fixated his penetrating stare on the raven-haired boy, while talking to himself. It unnerved Harry, feeling like an insect studied under a magnifying glass. The famous twinkle in the older man's eyes revealed a slightly unfazed interest and humorous knowhow.

"How did you come to be in this world?"

Harry blinked, twice, mulling the question over in his mind. _How did I get here?_ _Maybe the Death Eaters… No, why would they? _He scratched his head, painfully aware all eyes were on him._ A potion gone wrong? … Not likely. _The chances of accidentally making a potion, which sent you to another world, probably wasn't all that high…After approximately a minute of speculation, he came up short.

"I have no idea." He met the headmaster's scrutiny head on. "The only thing I remember is wandering around Diagon Alley with my friends, and then waking up in a meadow miles away."

Dumbledore nodded, unfazed.

"Well, this is a puzzle, but then again we knew you were coming and we need your help."

Harry felt a paralyzing chill creep up his back. He froze in place, feeling like a trapped mouse in the claws of a predator. The glare he sent in the headmaster's direction was both accusing and stunned.

"Oh, not like that, my boy. There was a prophecy you see…"

Harry let out an exasperated cry: "Not another PROPHECY!"

"You're familiar with them then…"

He met twinkling blue eyes, reluctantly.

"Yes, unfortunately."

A dangerous light spread in Albus's eyes; they contained barely concealed joy, like a child playing with new toys.

Harry could see the wheels turning in his mind, calculating and planning, virtually moving people like chess pieces in a grand game.

He knew that look all too well; last time a man bearing the same name as the one now scrutinizing him had planned their enemy's downfall and his death as collateral damage.

Harry knew he _was_ and always would be…expendable to him.

He firmed his gaze and resolve.

This time he would _not_ play by the old man's fiddle.

* * *

**A/N**

Thanks for reading - I hope you liked the 3rd chapter!

I'll be really happy if you choose to review :D

Hopefully you don't have to wait four Months for the next chapter (keep your fingers crossed!) - it is written, but still not edited yet... I'll do my best to have it published at least before Christmas!

Next chapter's heading; Battle of Wills.

\- Elysia


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Harry Potter - only my imagination is my own :)

**Beta Reader**

Thanks a lot to my editor - A Fire in the Attic. Your help is much appreciated!

**A/N**

I'm so sorry about the lateness - you had to wait four months...again. Still, I hope you enjoy the chapter (and write a review - as always, author's love those and so do I!). A big thanks to C.B Weasley, Brian1972, geetac, TheWoozyWriterGirl, Ceti H. Black and Shiane Ventures for reviewing the last chapter, and to all those who follow the story and have marked it as a favourite. I really appreciate your support!

I gues that's enough of a rant for now - on with the story!:

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR – BATTLE OF WILLS**

Harry felt the older man eye him intently, willing him to reveal the circumstances behind his exclamation. Not everybody felt such a dislike, or even realism, in a crystal ball foretelling one's future.

He met the twinkling blue irises of his headmaster's counterpart, refusing to budge. Whatever happened, he violently rejected the idea of playing Dumbledore's head games again. Once was more than enough, and it had cost him too much.

"The prophecy…you were in it?" Dumbledore prompted.

Harry locked him in a stern glare, without yielding an inch. "Yes."

Albus Dumbledore watched the raven-haired boy with keen interest, though he was a bit annoyed. He knew the boy would not budge. Not many could look him in the eyes and resist telling him something he wanted to know. He studied the boy even closer, silently trying to persuade him to tell his secrets.

Harry barely concealed a smirk. He knew all too well what the older man was trying to do. He was a skilled manipulator, moving people like chess pieces, but somehow, battling with dark lords and dealing with _dear_ mentors had made Harry immune to his mind's influence.

The old headmaster frowned. Most people would flinch under his unrelenting scrutiny, but the boy faced him with cool indifference. He could sense there was much history behind his collected manner. No boy, just barely of age, could bear such a demeanor without having faced something beyond life's normal difficulties. His composure seemed hardened, like a seasoned warrior, but still sadness and innocence played like fighting children in his emerald eyes.

Only a couple of minutes had passed since the silent battle of wills had commenced. They seemed not to notice the people staring at their quiet exchange.

In the end Dumbledore reached a conclusion that decidedly differed from the status quo. _Is this the boy of prophecy?_ he wondered. The boy seemed too young to bear the world on his shoulders. But then again, if he _was_ what the prophecy foretold, he would know of bravery and sacrifice…and death.

Dumbledore reached out with his mind, tentatively at first, just barely touching the boy's mind. What met him made him recoil violently. The wall was denser than anything he had previously encountered.

* * *

Harry felt another mind's cautious probing of his own. A livid burning rage rose in him. Legilimency was decidedly _not_ something to use on a friend or ally. Outwardly, though, he looked unfazed. Harry fixed the man wearing his deceased headmaster's face with a look as cold as a frozen desert, but still as clear blue water.

"Albus, if you want, you may continue, but I will retaliate."

Dumbledore stopped immediately. The boy's mental wall was not something he could break through undetected. He couldn't even approach it unnoticed. It was a long time since he'd encountered such a strong Occlumens. The boy rivaled Severus in skill, and that was saying something.

"I apologize." Albus looked at him with something eerily familiar to humble sincerity. "I shouldn't have invaded your privacy."

"No, you shouldn't have. In my experience that's something Dark Wizards do."

A sudden outburst of furious indignation cut through their unbreakable bubble of mind games. Harry turned from the man with crescent moon spectacles, and looked into the livid fury that was his godfather's face.

"Dumbledore's no more a Dark Wizard than I am a furry wild kitten! How _dare_ you threaten him?"

Harry didn't even twitch at his anger, but met him with resolute firmness.

"I only defend myself if threatened."

"If _threatened_! Dumbledore nev—"

Harry cut his word in half with deadly precision and light-feathered ease.

"Didn't he?"

* * *

Sirius's eyes followed Harry incredulously, forgetting for a moment who he looked so much like. He somehow expressed the air of a Slytherin, condescending and arrogant—an indifference he had never seen the like of before. Still, in a split second his features changed, looking every bit the lost seventeen year-old he was.

Weary and in unfamiliar territory.

"It's okay," Harry said while turning and looking at the old wrinkled face. "Just please, don't do that again."

Sirius did a double take when he saw the pained expression on the boy's face. No one should have such sad eyes at such a young age.

The pain the boy bore left revealing scars and alertness only found in times of war and battle.

He suddenly understood the boy's words with uncomfortable clarity. A veil of paper-thin ice, which had laced his eyes in front of the spitting image of James, melted like icicles in the warm spring sun.

* * *

"Dumbledore, would you care to tell me what this prophecy of yours entails?"

Harry met the composed gaze of one of the greatest wizards alive, the recent miscalculation easily concealed behind bright blue eyes. But still he knew he wouldn't try that again soon. If he did, it was painfully obvious to the both of them there would be retribution on Harry's part. No one liked having their minds invaded, especially someone who had already experienced it before.

Dumbledore looked at him, weighing his options, what would further benefit their cause. With a light chuckle he seemed to have come to a conclusion. His lips tugged upwards in one of his knowing and almost mirthful smiles. Just as he was about to answer, a shrill voice breached the silence.

"NO! How do we even know he's on our side? He could be a servant of the Dark Lord!"

"I'm no servant of Dark Wizards, nor will I ever be!" Harry's voice was just as piercing as the retired Auror, unrelenting and forceful in its claim to be true.

"A Dark Wizard has touched your mind, boy, that much is certain."

Alastor Moody fixed him with a penetrating glare, one he would have used while questioning captured Death Eaters.

"Do you deny this?"

Harry shook his head, obviously aware there was no point in denying the truth.

"No, I don't."

He waved his hand accusingly at him, resembling a predator that had caught his prey in a trap, knowing it was pinned down, unable to avoid obvious truth.

"Then you admit to aiding the Dark Lord?"

Harry gave him a quizzical brush of his emerald irises.

"No, who would ever let Tom Riddle invade their mind _willingly_?"

* * *

Silence spread like wildfire, magnifying the tension in the room. Harry knew Alastor Moody was a hairsbreadth away from hexing him into oblivion. There never had been much understanding of his connection to the Dark Lord. Now knowing he had been an unintended horcrux for Tom, it made perfect sense. For seventeen years a part of Riddle's soul had lived in him.

Harry let his eyes wander around the room, watching familiar faces and unknown ones, permitting himself a glance in his mother's direction.

Her gaze instantly locked with his. The confusion in her eyes, in turn, made him equally confused.

Bewilderment shouldn't overshadow the accusation of his involvement with the Dark Lord. He expected anger, evident betrayal in those who had loved Harry, but somehow he saw none of it in anyone present. He was without doubt missing something important.

Lily held the eyes mirroring her own, and then a second later he knew with terrifying certainty just what was amiss. Three words, once uttered, became blatantly clear as shining violet neon signs, etched forever in his mind.

"Who is…_Tom Riddle_?"

* * *

**A/N**

Thanks a lot for reading - hope it was worth your time!

The 5th chapter is written and I really _really_ hope it won't take another four months to be edited and published!

Next chapter's heading; A Dark Lord's Illusiveness.

\- Elysia


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